Protestors from south bring fight to Buckingham

MEMBERS of union Unison descended on Buckingham on Tuesday to protest about pay for porters, catering and domestic staff working at Wycombe and Amersham Hospitals.

Staff from the hospitals picketed a meeting of the Bucks Healthcare NHS Trust, which was held in Buckingham Community Centre, as part of a strike over sick pay. The protestors are in a dispute with Medirest, a private firm contracted by the trust to run the hospitals.

Liza Nicklin, from Bicester, said NHS workers were paid under agenda for change conditions introduced in 2006,which includes above statutory sick pay, but although workers at other hospitals, including Stoke Mandeville, were paid under these conditions, workers at Wycombe and Amersham weren’t.

Workers at those hospitals are paid statutory sick pay, which is £79.15 per week and is only payable after three days of sickness.

Medirest has said that funds have not been made available by the trust to meet the protestors demands.